1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a template for a cutting tool and, more particularly, to a guide for easily measuring and positioning the template for creating cuts onto a substrate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various materials, such as, mat board, construction board, foam board, paper and corrugated paper are often cut to size or have cut outs within their borders. Many times determining the location of the cuts is a multi-step process requiring measuring, marking and finally positioning a tool to guide the blade or placing the substrate into a fixture to facilitate cutting.
The practice of creating a mat window within a frame by measuring and cutting out a center section of material such as mat board, foam board, paper and corrugated paper to create a decorative effect for displaying artwork and significant documents of many sorts has been a popular activity throughout history. This practice is performed by people of varying expertise from professional framers to amateur artists and crafters. The prior art devices designed to execute a measured and precise straight or angled cut in the aforementioned materials are either inadequate or expensive and cumbersome. The elements of creating a measured precise straight or angled cut include the ability to concurrently measure the distance of the start of the cut from the upper edge of the workpiece, the length of the cut, and the parallel distance of the cut from the adjacent edge of the workpiece, the ability to stabilize the cutting blade to insure a clean uniform cut, the ability to securely orient the cutting device to the workpiece to avoid the disorientation of the desired cut during execution, and the ability to clearly see the execution of the desired cut throughout the process.
There are a number of devices that attempt to address one or more of these elements as related to the execution of a strait or angled cut, none of which successfully address all of these elements simultaneously at a cost that is universally embraced by the non-professional. It is common practice for users without access to professional mat cutting devices to use a variety of strait edges, rules, and razor knives to approximate this effect. The results of this work around often lack the professional results users seek.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,829,833 (Langman) discloses a guide for steadying the path of a cutting tool consisting of a platen that includes a periphery which bounds a planar surface, used to enable a force to be applied to compress a workpiece on opposing sides of the path of the tool by contacting the upper surface of a workpiece, and another surface spaced apart from the planar surface. The platen includes portions which define the edge of an aperture which connects the surfaces. The edge is displaced from the periphery of the platen and can be engaged by a cutting tool.
The design disclosed by Langman describes an aperture of sufficient width to accommodate the body of an average utility knife allowing the cutting blade to penetrate a thicker compressed material such as insulation. The width of the guide slot disclosed by Langman, however, differs from the disclosed invention and does not contemplate or suggest the use of the cutting guide slot for capturing, directing, and stabilizing the cutting blade.
G.B. Patent. No. 2463746 (Hudson) discloses a tool that has a guide slot extending along the length of an elongate member for receiving a drawing implement. A set of transverse markings is perpendicular to the guide slot, and a set of longitudinal markings is parallel to the guide slot. The transverse markings bisect the guide slot, and the longitudinal markings bisect the transverse markings. The transverse and longitudinal markings are formed on the elongate member by one of etching, embossing and raised detents forming a broken line. The guide slot disclosed by Hudson is designed for use of a drawing implement and does not contemplate or suggest the use of the cutting guide slot for capturing, directing, and stabilizing a cutting blade.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0151531 (Levin) discloses a process for crafting paper and related kit by placing a paper on a cutting surface of a double-sided mat and by placing a ruler (e.g. straight ruler) over the paper, and a cutting blade is positioned within a channel formed in the ruler. The paper is cut with the cutting blade. The paper is provided on a scoring surface of the mat, and the ruler is placed over the paper. A scoring knob is located within the channel in the ruler, and an arch or a circle is scored from the paper by utilizing the scoring knob. The paper is folded about a score line. The process disclosed by Levin, however, does not contemplate or suggest the use of a freehand cutting tool or the use of the cutting guide slot for capturing, directing, and stabilizing the cutting blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,854,189 (Schafer) discloses a tool made of a transparent non-static cling flexible sheet comprising multiple sheet segments for measuring, marking, and cutting material. The tool is removably adhered to one of the two planar sides of a transparent rigid sheet. The planar sides of the transparent rigid sheet have multiple lines. The tool disclosed by Shafer is a measuring grid without a cutting guide slot element for directing a cutting blade.
U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0095804 (Coplan) discloses a sheet material cutting device that includes an elongate base plate with a cutting side edge to guide the knife blade for cutting the sheet. A guard plate extended upward and running parallel and closer to the cutting edge is curved towards the side opposing the cutting edge to guard the hand pressing the base plate onto the sheet. The tool disclosed by Coplan is used for making cuts along an unrestrained edge and does not contemplate or suggest the use of a cutting guide slot for capturing, directing, and stabilizing the cutting blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,808 (Martinez) discloses a device designed to cut or score floor covering materials such as vinyl, linoleum, carpet and other sheet goods. The device has a metal base with a straight edge located on the front and rear portions of the meal base. Stabilizing members fixed to the top surface of the metal base provide a support for positioning pins which hold the metal base to the carpet. Each stabilizer has a positioning pin including a knob and made to hold the bottom surface of the metal base to the carpet being cut so straight edges of the metal base may not move as the carpet is being cut. A guide track extends the entire length of the base while another guide track is provided to each cutting piece which are of different versions. The device disclosed by Martinez, however, suffers from the inconvenience of requiring the user to screw the positioning pins into the metal base. The device disclosed by Martinez does not contemplate or suggest the use of standard push pins or fasteners for securing the cutting device to a workpiece or the use of the cutting guide slot for capturing, directing, and stabilizing the cutting blade.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,751 (Albright) discloses a mat cutting device that includes a cutter for making a bevel cut and an adjustable edge guide having a vertical straight edge surface. A vertical flat surface on the cutter is slidably engaged as the cutter is pushed along the edge guide to make a straight, beveled cut parallel to one edge of the mat. When used to cut an opening in a mat for mounting pictures, the outline of the picture is traced on the back of the mat parallel to the edges. The mat is then secured face down on the edge guide with straight edge surface positioned adjacent and parallel to one traced line. The device disclosed by Albright, however, suffers from requiring the additional steps of measuring and marking the outline of the cut on the back of the workpiece prior the cutting and requires the use of a cutting member made to engage with an edge guide. The device disclosed by Albright also does not contemplate the use of a standard cutting tool such as an razor knife or utility knife. The present invention overcomes the requirement to measure and mark the back of the workpiece by acting as a template guide with vertical and horizontal reference markings allowing the user to measure, orient, and view the cutting line while execute the cut.
What is desired, therefore, is a device to easily measure and orient the template on the workpiece for cutting while at the same time creating a means to direct and stabilize the cutting blade at the desired angle to easily facilitate the cut. It is a further desire to have a template cutting device that utilizes standard utility knives for cutting and does not rely on a custom cutting blade and device. The disclosed invention also benefits from the ability to easily scale at a significantly lower cost for larger workpieces.